Free Shepherd by KH LeMoyne

several more parts she’d spied. Praying she could avoid detection until she at least had a chance to construct her prototype, she quietly assembled the one-inch-long energy module.
    The conductive crystal powder, sealed inside a protective canister with a stable isotope module and blanketed with a nonconductive barrier, provided a minimal emission of energy. She frowned, glancing at the remaining pile of parts.
    “Too small to propel the keg.” Clay’s voice echoed beside her ear as he took the device from her.
    She turned, placing them eye to eye. He moved back before she recovered from the vibration he’d created in her stomach. “It’s only a prototype but safe. No residual radiation and if we ignite the shield on the scaled model, the explosion would only expand ten to twenty feet at the most.”
    He tossed the small power cell up and down in his palm. “We. I don’t remember authorizing you to construct power supplies, much less promising you a position with the ignition switch.”
    “So you’re going to dedicate one of the team members you’ve assembled to stand by the wayside and twiddle their thumbs with this task. If something goes wrong, they’ll have no idea how to fix it or create a work-around.” She sidled up to him and gripped his biceps in an attempt to provoke him, hoping to force another concession.
    Instead, he stared at her, the examination hot and disturbing, but it was his lack of response she found the most unsettling. Clay annoyed at her was one thing. Annoyance she could fight with words or action. The heavy, dark look he gave her increased the rapid slam of her heart, a reaction she couldn’t stop or fight.
    He slowly brushed her hands away and took several steps backward. She felt the emotional distance his actions created—painful and stark. Another thing she didn’t know how to combat, and it opened a hole so deep inside her, she thought she just might drown in the disappointment. He deposited the cell on the table, turned his back, and walked away, leaving her empty. The void of his heat and lack of his normal roundabout compliments punctured a hole in her self-control. He hadn’t even bothered with his usual subtle attempts on how to give her a little more wiggle room to keep her busy
    “I’m sorry I touched you. If you find me so offensive, why don’t you just let me go?” Esme looked away and blinked, annoyed at the emotions tightening in her chest. She was totally unprepared for the arm that turned her around and the hand cupping the back of her head to meet the onslaught of full lips.
    Whatever rational thought she might have mustered ended as she clung to Clay, her mouth opening beneath his tongue’s demand. He didn’t settle for a gentle kiss or give her time to think. This wasn’t the soft test she experienced with Ty. Instead, Clay pressed her against the wall, dominating her with his body as he claimed her. He pushed and drove the need in her body to levels she’d never experienced before.
    He took one breath, his lips still pressed against her cheek. “Offensive isn’t anywhere on my list when I think about you, Esme.”
    She caught the wild echo of desire in his eye before the guarded look returned and he backed away.
    No . She refused to feel so much just to have it ripped away. Her fingers traced over her lips. The rough texture of his kiss still tingled as she took one wobbly step toward him. “Is that all you’ll give me, all I’m allowed to experience? Aren’t I worth more?”
    Choking back her embarrassment at having voiced her wants aloud, she bit her lip and kept her gaze on him. No one had ever given her this much. For once, damn it, she wanted to feel too much, to lose control, to be the center of someone’s universe.
    The wild, heated look replaced his shocked expression before he crossed the distance between them and swept her into his arms. Her breath caught as he placed her on the table and shoved the supplies aside.
    Afraid he still